Quick Answer: Obtain the complete certificate, match its legal entity, production address and scope to your order, and verify its current status directly with the named certification body. If accreditation is claimed or required, check the accreditation body’s official directory and the issuer’s relevant accredited scope. Use databases as supporting routes, investigate missing results, and keep a dated record. A valid certificate does not by itself approve a formula, label or destination-market launch.
Define what you need the certificate to establish
Start with the planned manufacturing arrangement. Identify who will mix, fill, pack, store and release the product, and at which addresses. Then identify the precise document your customer, purchasing policy or market adviser requires. This avoids verifying a certificate perfectly while overlooking that it applies to a head office or a different production operation. Our OEM and ODM manufacturing guide explains the wider supply relationship.
Certificate verification has two decisions. First, is the document authentic and currently valid? Second, is it relevant and sufficient for the order? Keep both answers in your approval record. A certificate for general quality management may be genuine but cannot silently become cosmetic GMP evidence. A cosmetic GMP certificate may be relevant to a site while leaving product safety, claims and market obligations unresolved.
This guide describes a practical buyer workflow. It does not report a successful verification for any named factory and does not assert that MOOYAM holds a particular certificate. Use the cosmetic OEM certification guide to decide which evidence categories matter before collecting documents.
| Step | Action | Record or decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Obtain the full document | Request every page, annex, certificate number and issuer details | Keep the received version and date |
| 2. Match the proposed operation | Compare legal name, production address and covered activities | Identify discrepancies before approval |
| 3. Verify with the issuer | Use an independently located official directory or contact | Save status, scope and confirmation date |
| 4. Check claimed accreditation | Read the accreditation body’s schedule for the relevant service | Record whether the required scope is covered |
| 5. Resolve gaps | Investigate absent results, changes or conflicting documents | Accept, conditionally accept or hold with reasons |
| 6. Maintain the decision | Assign an owner and review triggers | Recheck before relying on changed evidence |
Request the complete certificate and its supporting pages
Ask for a legible complete copy rather than a website badge or cropped screenshot. Useful fields include the certificate reference, standard or scheme, legal entity, site address, scope wording, issuing organisation, issue date, expiry date where applicable, and any annex identifying additional sites. Keep the original file as received. A translated summary can help your team read it, but should remain connected to the source document.
Compare the certificate holder with the company signing your manufacturing agreement. A trading company, brand owner and manufacturing company can be related without being interchangeable. If the supplier explains that the certificate belongs to its group, ask for the actual entity and site relationship and check the annex. Do not infer that group ownership extends certification to every factory.
Read the manufacturing activities literally. Mixing, filling, packaging, development, warehousing and distribution are different activities. If the scope covers packaging only, clarify who manufactures the bulk and what evidence covers that operation. Ask the supplier to identify outsourced steps. These questions test relevance; they do not by themselves prove that a genuine document is false.
Find the issuing body independently
ISO develops standards; it does not perform certification or issue certificates. The ISO committee FAQ makes that institutional distinction explicit. A supplier saying it is certified by ISO should identify the actual external certification body. ISO’s name on a standard is not an authentication service for the supplier’s document.
Locate the issuer through an independent official route. Avoid relying solely on a QR code, link or phone number printed on the supplied certificate, because those details are part of the material being checked. Compare the domain, legal name and contact details with the issuer’s official information. A plausible looking search page is not enough if its ownership cannot be established.
Search the exact certificate number first, retaining prefixes, suffixes and punctuation. If necessary, try the legal company name and the issuer’s documented search guidance. Compare the returned record with the PDF: standard, entity, site, activities and current status. Save the result date and relevant evidence. If no suitable public route exists, send a targeted enquiry to the official issuer contact asking it to confirm those same fields.
A real issuer’s published policy illustrates why status checks matter. BSI’s certification business policy describes public status information and explains that suspended management system certification is invalid during suspension. That is an example of one issuer’s procedure, not evidence that any particular cosmetic manufacturer is its certified client. Use the actual issuing body’s current rules for the document in front of you.
Check accreditation as a separate claim
Certification assesses an organisation against a particular standard or scheme. Accreditation concerns the competence of a conformity assessment body for specified activities. The UKAS guidance recommends checking the accreditation body, the certification body’s relevant accredited scope and whether that body actually issued the certificate. These are separate checks.
If an accreditation logo appears, use the named accreditation body’s official directory. Read the current schedule or scope, including the certification service and standard relevant to your requirement. An issuer can hold accreditation for one activity without all its certificates being covered. A familiar accreditation mark elsewhere on its website does not establish coverage of your document.
Also confirm any recognition arrangement required by the customer or market. Do not assume a national name or seal proves recognition. Where your purchasing policy specifies accredited certification, record the precise acceptance condition and the evidence used to satisfy it. Ask your qualified adviser to resolve a jurisdiction specific requirement.
Non-accredited does not automatically mean forged or illegal. UKAS notes that accreditation is voluntary in many sectors, while distinguishing the assurance provided by accredited services. For purchasing purposes, an authentic non-accredited certificate may still fail a contractual requirement for accredited certification. Record that as an acceptance gap and determine the next action; avoid making an unsupported allegation of fraud.
Use IAF CertSearch with its coverage limits in mind
IAF CertSearch can be a useful route for checking supported accredited certification records. Review the actual returned standard, status, certificate number, company and site details rather than stopping at a company-name match. A record for one standard is not evidence for another standard shown in a supplier presentation.
The IAF CertSearch user guide explains that a missing search suggestion can have several causes, including a record not being added, confidentiality restrictions or removal. Therefore an absent result is a reason to investigate, not proof that the certificate is fake. It also does not establish validity. Follow up with the named issuer and, where relevant, the accreditation body.
Check whether the particular scheme and certification arrangement you are reviewing belongs in the database. Do not promise that every ISO 22716 or cosmetic GMP certificate will appear, or treat an unrelated management system record as a substitute. If the certificate claims no accreditation, an accredited-certification database is not a universal validity test. Keep your search method and unresolved questions visible in the decision record.
Keep regulatory documents and test reports in their proper roles
A facility filing, export document, laboratory report and management system certificate answer different questions. Do not let the word certificate hide those differences. Ask what the document actually states, who issued it and what decision it can support. An analytical result for one sample is not a certificate covering all future batches.
For a document described as FDA GMP certification, require clarification. FDA does not issue cosmetic GMP certificates. Its cosmetic export certificate FAQ explains the distinction between its export documents and GMP certification. Do not recast an export certificate or a third-party service document as FDA certification of a factory. Have the responsible regulatory role check applicable filings and requirements independently.
The manufacturer should supply accurate site, process and formulation information and notify you of changes. The brand or its designated responsible role should define acceptance criteria, coordinate product safety and market review, approve claims and labels, and decide when commercial stock can be released. Neither party should assume the other has completed a task simply because a supplier certificate is on file. Use our compliant manufacturer selection guide to connect the document review with wider qualification.
Document discrepancies and close them before relying on the claim
Create a short verification record containing the document filename, reference, entity, site, scope, source consulted, status checked, review date, reviewer and open actions. Keep the supplier’s explanation alongside the independent confirmation, distinguishing their sources. Limit access to confidential documents and avoid publishing a supplier’s full certificate without appropriate permission.
Consider a hypothetical order for a face cream mixed at Site A and filled at Site B. A current certificate naming Site A with a manufacturing scope does not establish that Site B is covered. The buyer should request an applicable annex or separate evidence and confirm the actual handoff. This is an illustrative decision problem, not a finding about an existing supplier.
If the issuer cannot confirm the document, the address conflicts or current status is unsuitable, place reliance on the certificate on hold. State exactly what would resolve the gap, who owns it and when it must be closed. Escalate possible impersonation or alteration through the issuer’s official channel using the evidence available. Avoid accusing a supplier based solely on a search failure.
A conditional purchasing decision should identify limits clearly. For example, sample development might proceed while approval of the commercial production site remains open, if your policy and risk assessment permit it. That is different from claiming the site is qualified. Keep the decision visible to purchasing, quality and the person authorising shipment.
| When | What to revisit | Owner and evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Before supplier approval | Original document, issuer status, site, scope and claimed accreditation | Quality or sourcing reviewer; dated qualification record |
| Before commercial stock release | Unresolved conditions and material changes since approval | Release owner; closure evidence |
| Before certificate expiry where applicable | Replacement document and independently checked current status | Assigned document owner; follow-up reminder |
| After a site, entity or subcontractor change | Whether existing evidence still covers the proposed work | Manufacturer notifies; brand reviews impact |
| After a status alert or conflicting information | Suspension, withdrawal or changes to relevant scope | Quality reviewer; issuer or accreditation body confirmation |
| At the agreed periodic review | Current records and continued relevance to the order | Named buyer owner; refreshed verification date |
Make verification a maintained decision
Set review frequency according to the product, supplier risk and contract rather than inventing a universal annual rule. Record expiry reminders where the document has an expiry date, and require notification of site moves, company changes, subcontracting and certification status changes. A certificate collected at onboarding can become irrelevant before the next order.
Agree these obligations in the supply or quality agreement, including who must send updated documents and who can hold a batch when evidence becomes uncertain. Maintain a route to the issuer independent of the sales contact. If you need help framing a request, contact the project team with the product, destination, proposed site and exact certification requirement. Verification supports a specific approval decision; it is not a promise of universal compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Can ISO confirm my manufacturer’s certificate?
ISO does not issue company certificates. Identify the actual external certification body and check its official verification route. The ISO standard number describes the reference used, not the issuer.
Does a missing IAF CertSearch result prove a certificate is fake?
No. Database coverage, confidentiality, removal and the relevant scheme can affect results. The status remains unresolved until you investigate with the actual issuer and, where applicable, the accreditation body.
Is a non-accredited certificate automatically invalid?
Not automatically. Authenticity, accreditation and your acceptance requirement are different questions. A non-accredited document may still fail a contract requiring accredited certification; assess that gap explicitly.
What if the factory name or address does not match?
Ask for the complete site annex and the legal entity relationship, then confirm the relevant coverage with the issuer. Do not assume that certification of one group company covers another production site.
Is a verified certificate enough to launch a cosmetic?
No. Product safety, specifications, claims, labels, applicable market filings and responsible roles require separate review. A certificate supports only the activities and scope it actually covers.
Last reviewed: 30 October 2026. General supplier qualification information, not product specific legal, regulatory or certification advice. Confirm current issuer records, scheme rules and market requirements with qualified advisers before relying on them.